When you talk about historic moments at Joe Louis
Arena Adidas Olli Maatta #3
Jersey , a vast majority of Detroit Red Wings fans would put March
26, 1997, atop the list. That was the night the Wings beat the Stanley Cup
champion Colorado Avalanche 6-5 in overtime and Detroit forward Darren McCarty
put a beating on Colorado counterpart Claude Lemieux during a first-period line
brawl, exacting revenge for the facial injuries suffered by Detroit’s Kris
Draper when he was hit into the boards in the deciding game of the 1996 Western
Conference final. The Wings would go on to beat the Avalanche in the 1997
Western Conference final en route to their first Stanley Cup win since 1955, and
from 1996-2002, the Detroit-Colorado rivalry featured some of the fiercest
hockey ever played, as the two teams split five Stanley Cup titles over that
span. Nearly 20 years later, as the Avalanche arrive at Joe Louis Arena for the
final time to face the Wings on Saturday afternoon Adidas Bryan Rust #17
Jersey , no such drama will unfold. Colorado is currently 30th
overall in the NHL, poised as favorites to win the draft lottery. Detroit is
doing a slow bleed of its own, about to miss the playoffs for the first time
since the 1989-90 season. “We thought we would be in a better position by now,”
Detroit forward Tomas Tatar said. “It’s hard, you know, but we dug ourselves
into this position, so we need to get out by ourselves. “We have to work harder,
we have to work on some stuff and we have to do some changes.” The Wings come
home off a 5-4 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes Adidas Patric Hornqvist #72
Jersey , improving to an NHL-best 8-0 in the shootout. “Thomas
Vanek’s not here anymore, but he added an element,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill
said of their shootout success. “(Frans) Nielsen’s done a good job, (Gus)
Nyquist’s done a good job. “So we’ve got guys that can score in the shootout and
our goalies have done a good job stopping them.” The Avalanche are also in a
winning frame of mind after Wednesday’s 3-1 triumph at the Pepsi Center over the
Red Wings. Colorado has won three of its last five games. “I like some of the
things we’re doing,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told the Denver Post. “We’re
playing with a little more passion and energy, I feel like lately.” With the
playoffs out of the question, both teams are giving auditions to rookies with an
eye toward the future. Defenseman Randy Russo was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids
by the Wings last week and is skating in a pairing with fellow rookie Xavier
Ouellet. “We played together all year last year (in Grand Rapids),” Ouellet
said. “We have pretty good chemistry. We kind of know where we are on the ice.
“It makes it kind of easy.” Avalanche forward J.T. Compher Adidas Ryan Reaves #75
Jersey , a former captain with the Michigan Wolverines, recorded
his first NHL goal in the win over the Wings and defenseman Anton Lindholm made
his NHL debut in the same game. “It’s a good feeling to have the first game in
the bag,” Lindholm told the Denver Post. “I was nervous coming in and certainly
did some overthinking my first couple of shifts, but I thought I played a pretty
decent game.”. Morgan
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